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Yearly Archives: 2015

Weekly Greens Turns Five

Hello, kind readers. (long sigh) Much like children and puppies, blogs grow up too fast. If Weekly Greens was a child, it would be a backpack-carrying kindergartener now. I know it would be confident, self-assured and independent. No tears, no looking back. Yep, we’re five. And I know what you’re thinking – where they h&#$ have you been lately, anyway? Good question.

There are three answers.

One: I’ve been deep in the trenches of opening my own barre3 studio. barre3 14th Street is under construction and we hope to be open in early 2016! I’m learning so much every day that my head may explode. But it’s good. I never thought I’d be a business owner – not even when I was in business school! – but here I am and it feels incredible to be learning in this way and building something I believe in with my whole heart. I feel lucky to have the support of Andy, my darling husband, who has jumped in right with me (okay, I may have had to do some pulling and prodding…but he is on this train and it has left the station!). If you’re in DC, please come find me. I’m teaching a ton of fun, free classes in the community leading up to my grand opening. They’re in coffee shops and dance studios and parks and rooftops. You can see a list of events here. If you don’t live in DC and there is no barre3 anywhere nearby, I have something special for you. Email me (info@weeklygreens.com) with the subject line “barre3 me!” for a special promo code to barre3 online, where you’ll find more than 100 videos (as short as 10 minutes!) you can do from anywhere. You can follow my studio’s progress on Facebook and Instagram.

Two: I’ve been testing out my “five meals” theory on Andy. He’s been responsible for dinner – and let’s be honest, lunches! – a lot more lately, as I’ve had travel, evening events and other activities that pull me away from the kitchen in this crazy pre-opening time. My theory? If you can make just five easily adaptable meals, you can make anything. I recently taught him to make salad dressing from scratch. He’s also made Tuesdays our regular taco night. He’s got some pasta variations, eggs and a few other tricks up his sleeve. The kids say he’s the best at making avocado. (smile) When I’m here, I still love to work in variations of my own five: a pantry soup, a pantry pasta, crisper drawer salad (usually with a side of lean protein), a roast chicken or frittata.

Three: I’ve been trying to live this life in the present, just like you. I’m trying not to blink for fear of missing my boys’ childhoods completely. I’m finding time to connect in person and face-to-face as much as I can. But the reality is that, for better and worse, we’re an increasingly technology-driven society. I’m fully embracing the better (shopping from my phone! a ride in 4 seconds flat! what a pretty baby my friend just had!) and turn a blind eye to the “worse” (why wasn’t I invited to that party? what did I just miss because I was looking down when I should have been looking up and participating?).

So, dear readers, very much like a brave, bold kindergartener, Weekly Greens is going to fly independently on its own for a bit. It’s here for you! Let’s be honest – it’s here for me. I cook from these pages often when Andy isn’t at the stove. But my fresh blog posts will be fewer and farther between. I’ll be back again before too long. And I hope you will be, too. Thank YOU for five amazing years. You’ve inspired me, trusted me with the bellies of your family and friends and shown me more support than I could have ever imagined. I love you for that! Keep cooking, keep living and we’ll meet again once my newest “baby” is sleeping through the night, so to speak.

Kid-Friendly Dinner Ideas

Hello, dear readers. It’s been a while. You may have noticed that I’m posting less frequently these days. I’m working on a new project and hope to be able to tell you more about it soon. Sit tight and we’ll get to that in a bit. In the meantime, I’m back here every month or so with ideas, tips and random inspiration. Today, I bring you my collection of kid-friendly dinner ideas. I created this board to answer the question plaguing us all too often.

I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard “how do you get your kids to eat _______ ?” Mine certainly don’t eat everything. They go through phases. My adventurous eater has recently turned more discerning. Foods they liked last week, they don’t like this week. I get it. They’re kids. But I keep trying.

My formula isn’t revolutionary: We all eat the same dinner. No short order cooking allowed. Try a bite before deciding like/dislike. It’s okay to dislike. We say what, they say how much. If the answer is little to none…well, then there’s always breakfast. Variety, variety and more variety. That’s it.

I’m off again, but before I go…we have a winner! Tammi will receive the set of Super Food Cards offered as a giveaway in my last post. Congratulations, Tammi. Look for an email from me and we’ll ship them right over to you.

Sweets for Your Sweets

Hello there, loveys. I’d put Valentine’s Day in the category of throw-away holidays designed to boost the bottom lines of cheesy greeting card makers and florists nationwide. Don’t even get me started on the multitude of restaurants offering candlelit rooms full of deuces and overpriced prix fixe menus culminating with a heart-shaped dessert for two. Ick. Give me homemade cards, pink pancakes for breakfast and a night in with a good bottle of wine. Looking for homespun Valentine’s Day treats your sweeties will swoon over? I’ve got you covered. Continue reading ›